Liquid hydrocarbon burner with pilot chambers



Oct. 28, 1941. v BREEsE 2,260,555

LIQUID HYDROCARBON BURNER WITH PILOT CHAMBERS Original Filed Feb. 8, 1937 INVENTOR.

JZzme .Breefie F v w I ATTORNEY 5.

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 LIQUID HYDROCARBON BURNER WITH PILOT CHAMBERS James L. Breese, Santa Fe, N. Men, assignor to Oil Devices, Santa Fe, N. Men, a limited partnership of Illinois Original application February 8, 1937, Serial No.

1939, Serial No; 267,022

5 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in burners. for burning liquid fuels, such .ashydrocarbons, and has for one purpose the provision of a burner which can be turned down to a very small fire, or low draft, without destroying the characteristic mode of combustion described, for example, in my prior issued Patent No. 1,702,929, issued on February 19, 1929.

Another purpose is the provision of means for permitting low draft burning with such a burner, while preventing down drafts from upper portions of the combustion chamber, which would disadvantageously affect combustion.

Another purpose is the provision of such means which are adaptable for ready removal to permit easy cleaning of the burner and for adjustment of the burner capacity. r

Another purpose is the provision of a burner for carrying on my characteristic combustion method which constitutes or includes a plurality of superposed burners of varying diameters.

Another purpose is the provision, in connection with one of my bumers,'of a lower supplementary burner which may have the functions of a pilot light for maintaining combustion during periods when a minimum heat or no heat is desired.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, which is a vertical axial section through a pot type liquid hydrocarbonburner involving my invention.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawing.-

The present application is a division of my pending application Serial No. 124,695 filed F'ebruary 8, 1937.

Referring to the drawing, i generally indicates an outer furnace or heater shell and 2 an inner shell. inner shell and provided with a central aperture 4. 5 is a preferably removable baiile, with a central aperture 6. I is a combustion chamber member, herein shown as generally cylindrical, with a bottom 8 which may be formed, if desired, in

3 is a horizontal partition secured to the Divided and this application April 10,

caused to flow through theapertures l5, upwardly through the apertures i2, and into the space between the members 'I and the shell 2. member I is provided with an upper row of sec-* 'ondary air inlet apertures is, herein shown as upwardly and inwardly inclined. A plurality of preferably smaller apertures H are shown ar-.

ranged in rows in a lower portion of the member I. The bottom row i8 is also indicated.

The member or pot wall 1 is provided with a lower portion 25 of smaller diameter, the two being connected by an oifset'or shelf 26 adapted to receive a removable baflle ring 21, with its central aperture 28. 1 thereby provide two separate chambers of different diameters, separated by a transverse partition 21, the interiors of the two chambers being put into communication with each other by the central aperture 28 of the baflle 21.

In the normal operation of the device, the characteristic combustion method of my Patent Number 1,702,929 may be carried on; The primary air supply enters'through the apertures I! and mingles with the hydrocarbon vaporized by combustion. The heat of combustion, once the Preferably, whether by natural draft or by any suitable fan or the like, not herein shown, sufficient air is admitted for maintaining combustion at a rate sufficient to give the desired heat.

Any suitable control means, thermostatic or otherwise, may be employed for controlling the desired heat produced.

In the event that it is desired to turn down the unit to a minimum heat, or to practically no heat, the fuel supply is reduced and combustion The i flciently. For example, unless a sufllcient air supply and sufficient rate of combustion is maintained, the secondary air or the air above the baflie tends to eddy back and circulate down into the primary combustion zone, with the result as the one shown herein at 21, prevents this down draft and my primary mixing and combustion may be carried on by means of the holes l8, and ,the secondary air may then be supplied by some or all of the holes H. In other words,

" the primary zone moves down to or is limited to the holes below thebaflle, and the holes above 1 the baflle, which previously operated as a source ofprimary airfthen becomes the source of secondary air.

j It will be realized that whereas I have described and illustrated a practical and operative device,

1 nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I therefore wishmy description and drawing to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or dia-.

I grammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing.

For example, whereas I have described and shown the bottom 8 as generally flat, it will be I understood that the terms are intended to be employed with suiflcient breadth to include a reasonable degree of concavity.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I provide in effect two separate burners of different cubic content and of different diameter.

. when the deviceis running at high flame, the

1 entire shell, including the portions! and 25,

serves as a unitary chamber. Oil .supplied along the line ll, the how of which is controlled by any 1 suitable valve such as Ila, is vaporized on the bottom I by the'heat-of combustion going on in 1 the upper part of or above the chamber. The

vaporized hydrocarbon, .as it rises, mixes with the air from the primary inlets II, II, as above described, and, when it receives the secondary air through the apertures l8, forms a final mix- 1 time and is burned. In this high stage of combusticn. the baii'le '21 could be removed without affecting the'operation of the burner. However, when the valve Ida, or-corresponding manna-is employed to reduce the flow of liquid hydrocar- 'bon to a minimum, then the apertures l'l, above 1 the bailie, which at the high stage serve as-primary air apertures, become secondary air apertures, andthe first stage of hydroxylation takes place only in the smaller or pilot chamber defined by the bottom 8; the side wall 28 and the basic 2!. As the mixture flows upwardly through the aperture 28, it receives allfrom the apertures l1,

1 which at the low stage corresponds to the sec- 1 ondaryair; supplied through the apertures It l for the high stage;

It will be observed that but a single unitary ployed. v a

The-aperture 28 is of suflicient cross sectional area to permit the combustion takingplace above thebaflle 21 at the high stages to vaporize. the liquid hydrocarbon on the bottom 8. The parts are so proportioned that this'vaporization may result at a sufliciently rapid rate to maintain adequate combustion at the high stage.

I claim:

1. In a'mechanism for burning a liquid fuel, a' main chamber. and a supplemental chamber opening into the bottom thereof, the supplemental chamber being of smaller diameter than v the main chamber, a unitary fuel supply means for both chambers, including a fuel delivery passage for admitting liquid fuel to the bottom of the supplemental chamber, the walls of both chambers being provided with a plurality of air inlet apertures, and a baflle interposed between the chambers, adjacent the junction of the two chambers, the baflie having an aperture of substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the supplemental chamber, the supplemental chamber having a bottom of an area sufficient to serve as a. vaporization surface for a supply of liquid fuel sufflcient to maintain maximum combustion in or above the upper chamber.

' 2. In a mechanism for burning a liquid fuel, a main chamber and a supplemental chamber opening into the bottom thereof, the supplemental chamber being of smaller diameter than the main chamber, the two chambers being generally circular in cross section, and co-axial, a unitary fuel supply means for both chambers, in-

eluding a fuel delivery passage adapted to direct chamber, the walls of both chambers being prosary to vaporize sumcient fuel to maintain said so maximum combustion.

- 8. m a mechanism for burning a liquid fuel, 1

liquid fuel to "the bottom of the supplemental vided with a plurality of primary air inlet apertures, a baflie interposed between the chambers, adjacent the junction; of the two chambers, the baflle having a central aperture of substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the supplemental chamber, the supplemental chamber having a bottom of an area sufiicient to serve as a vaporization surface for a supply of liquid fuel suilicient to obtain maximum combustion a main chamber and a supplemental chamber opening into the bottom thereof, the supplemental chamber being of smaller diameter than the main chamber, a unitary fuel supply means for both chambers, including a fuel delivery passage for admitting liquid fuel to the bottom of the supplemental chamber, the walls of both chambers being provided with a plurality of air inlet apertures, a baille interposed between the chambers, adjacent the Junction of the two w'lB tal chamber being of smaller diameter than the main chamber, a unitary fuel supply means ,for both chambers, including a fuel delivery passage for admitting liquid fuel to the bottom of the supplemental chamber, the walls of both chambers being provided with a plurality of air inlet apertures, a baflie interposed between the chambers, adjacent the junction of the two chambers, the bailie having an aperture of substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the supplemental chamber, the supplemental of said main chamber, and means for supplying secondary air to the interior of the main chamber adjacent but below said last mentioned baflie.

5. An oil burning apparatus comprising a lower.

combustion chamber, means for admitting fuel to the lower chamber, a further chamber positioned above said lower chamber having a diameter substantially greater than said lower chamber, said chambers having a plurality of openings arranged peripherally therein for admitting air to said chambers, a third chamber positioned above said aforementioned chambers, the lower cham-.

bers having restricted openings at the top portions thereof.

JAMES L. BREESE. 

